10 Most Important Albums In Metal History

If you think about the moment where metal gained its real signature look, Judas Priest may be the real ground zero. While Deep Purple and Led Zeppelin had heavy moments between them, they were always adamant of being in the rock category, almost like metal was some sort of demeaning term at the time. Metal was something to be proud of though, and Priest turned in one of the most savage assaults of their career once the '80s rolled in.

As much as some people would like to put an album like British Steel on a list like this, Screaming for Vengeance stands taller for what it meant to Priest's career as a whole. Coming off of the triumphs that they had in the '70s and already releasing a classic a few years before, countless metal bands had come up in their wake from Britain, each with their own approach to heaviness like Saxon and Iron Maiden. Priest could have been yesterday's news, but they could hang with the new kids just fine on here.

From front to back, almost every track is a calling card for what Priest can do, taking the kind of dirge like atmosphere of Bloodstone or picking up the pace with the dystopian tale in Electric Eye or the fury behind Riding on the Wind, each with Rob Halford's amazing howl. They even managed to get a hit out of the deal, with You've Got Another Thing Comin getting prime time on MTV. British Steel may have been the proof of concept for Priest's classic sound, but Screaming for Vengeance is more than just them keeping up with the times. For all the new faces in town, Priest still owned the metal scene.